Carrying trays for holding and carrying beverage cups are well-known and in widespread use throughout fast-food restaurants, stadiums, convenience stores, coffee shops and the like. These carrying trays are normally disposable and often constructed of molded pulp or a like material.
Typically, the trays are comprised of a main body portion provided with a number of cup-holding sockets. The number of cup-holding sockets can vary, depending on the style of the carrying tray. Multiple designs exist, each having different shapes and sizes of cup-holding sockets with varying degrees of accommodation for beverage cups of different shapes and sizes.
Over time, the demands on these carrying trays have evolved. In recent years, fast-food and delicatessen restaurants have expanded their menus to include a variety of items, including soups and other items served in bowls. It is important that the customer can readily handle the purchased food, including soups and other foods placed in bowls, along with the beverages in a convenient and safe manner. It is desirable for the customer to be able to carry multiple containers of various sizes, including cups and bowls, in a single carrying tray. It is also desirable for single carrying tray to be adapted for carrying both cups and bowls, either concurrently or independently of one another.
Accordingly, a need exists for a cup and bowl carrier capable of concurrently carrying a combination of both beverage cups and bowls. A need also exists for a container carrier that includes at least one socket capable of holding either a cup or a bowl. A further need exists for a container carrier having a socket with a shelf structure for supporting a bowl surrounded by a plurality of stabilizing shoulders for holding the bowl in place.